Death of Triumph
by Gia Alexander
Summary: Grand Moff Tarkin finally tastes fear for himself as the first Death Star explodes around him.


Summary:  
  
Grand Moff Tarkin's last moments aboard the first Death Star.  
  
Disclaimer/Acknowledgments:  
  
This fan fiction is based on the characters and situations created by George Lucas. In the interest of protecting the intellectual property of this author, this work is intended for publication and circulation in the fan fiction forum only. I do not own all of the characters and situations set forth in this work. No financial gain is sought from the circulation of this material, and no infringement is intended.  
  
I express my gratitude to Mr. Lucas for creating the framework of this opportunity to share my ideas with other Star Wars fans, and particularly for allowing fan fiction forums to coexist with his copyrights.  
  
I would also like to thank my mother for inspiring me to resume writing Star Wars fan fiction after a dry spell of over a decade. Thanks also to my friend from college, Dave, whose discussions, input, and inspiration helped me to develop some of my original characters.  
  
Author's Note:  
  
"Death of Triumph" is part of the series "An Imperial Family."  
  
This series of short stories, novellas, and a full-length novel chronicles four generations of the Tarkin family, through the waning years of the Old Republic, the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire, and the separation of the Imperial Remnant. The saga centers around the lives of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin and his wife, Lady Typhani.  
  
If you are tired of seeing the Empire whipped, then this series is for you!  
  
  
  
DEATH OF TRIUMPH  
  
The battle raged on outside as the Rebels continued their relentless attack on the Death Star. Deep within the station, Charlie Bast remained at his post by Grand Moff Tarkin's side, having just warned him of the impending danger. He had already herded the others onto Tarkin's command shuttle, telling them that he would get the Governor and be right back. But Tarkin hadn't taken the always overprotective Bast seriously, caught up in what he believed to be his "moment of triumph" over the Rebellion.  
  
Tarkin gave the command to fire on the Rebel base, but instead of the rising hum of the charging superlaser, they heard a loud and deep rumbling that seemed to be emanating from the central core of the battle station. "We have to move, now," Bast insisted, forcibly grabbing Tarkin about the shoulders and pulling him away from the viewscreen.  
  
They could hear explosion after explosion advancing quickly in their direction. Now Tarkin knew the danger was real, and stayed immediately one pace behind Bast, as his security people had trained him to do. As they ran into the corridor leading to the hanger bay where the shuttle was waiting, a gun turret charging unit exploded, bombarding them with shrapnel. Bast instinctively turned and jumped in front of Tarkin, but they had both been hit. The blast threw first Tarkin into the far wall and then Bast into him. They had only a second to recover, and without another to spare, Bast grabbed hold of Tarkin as they stumbled toward the open-grid metal stairs leading down into the hanger bay.  
  
Just as they reached the stairs, another component exploded, and Bast reflexively pushed Tarkin out of the way, inadvertently sending him tumbling down the open-grate stairway. He slipped through the railing about halfway down, and fell to the deck below, landing hard on his side, as more shrapnel and exploding components rained down on him. With the wind knocked out of him, he tried to get up, but then another blast hurled a scrap of machinery at him that struck him hard in the head and chest, rendering him unconscious.  
  
Bast, on the other hand, had been thrown completely over the top railing by the explosion, taking much more of the hit from it than Tarkin had, falling much further, and crashing into the deck. Still conscious, though, and driven by duty and loyalty, he scrambled to Tarkin, heaved the debris off of him, and half-dragged, half-carried him to the base of the shuttle ramp, where Admiral Motti and Commander Romodi quickly pulled them aboard. The shuttle accelerated away from the exploding station at the last possible second.  
  
Bast then collapsed as Romodi tried to help him. Blood and foam gurgled forth from his mouth, nose, and ears, and his eyes were back in his head. Then Romodi noticed that he had been almost impaled through the gut by a twisted piece of metal, and he knew it was no use. He eased Charlie Bast's upper body back against the bulkhead as he died.  
  
Romodi then turned to assist Motti, fearing that the scene was about to be repeated with the Governor.  
  
"What course?" someone shouted from the cockpit.  
  
Motti had to think fast about where they were. "Tallaan! And fast!" he ordered.  
  
General Tagge had already pulled the emergency kit. With their military training coming to bear, they worked quickly to tear through the thick fabric of Tarkin's uniform and apply emergency medpacks to the worst wounds, but they knew there was no way to stem all of the blood flow. They would instead have to take steps to try to keep him from going into shock. Motti grabbed a thermal blanket from the emergency kit and they wrapped him tightly in it, then lifted him into one of the seats as the pilots alerted them that they were about to make the jump to light speed.  
  
Motti stood over Tarkin, and began to pull the seat straps tight to hold the thermal blanket in place. Tarkin started to come around at that point, and began to struggle against the straps. It was then that they realized he wasn't getting enough air. He had been bludgeoned in the chest, they knew, and Motti and Tagge speculated, correctly, that broken ribs may be causing his lungs to collapse. Romodi pulled the emergency oxygen system from its compartment, and they strapped the mask securely in place as the Governor fell unconscious again.  
  
When the shuttle exited hyperspace just outside of the Tallaan system, the hull breached, and the atmosphere in the cabin quickly leaked out. As everyone began to suffocate, base self-preservation reflexes began to kick in, and Tagge scrambled for the oxygen. Motti overtook him, though, pulling him off of Tarkin, and they fell to the shuttle deck at his feet-- dead.  
  
With its nav computer damaged and landing gear sheared off by the exploding Death Star, the shuttle careened out of control toward the landing pads at the Tallaan Shipyards. 


End file.
